Pet Sitting in Serbia

Pet Sitting in Serbia is a community-driven service that helps pet owners find trusted pet sitters through Telegram channels, bots, and a dedicated website. Founded in 2022, the community has grown organically by focusing on trust and transparency. As the Founder and Product Designer, I led the project from idea to execution: validating the problem through conversations with pet owners and sitters, growing the community, defining the product strategy, and designing the website and supporting tools. Rather than starting with a product, I first built a community, observed real user behavior, and iteratively introduced features to improve the experience. Key responsibilities included product discovery, user research, defining user flows and information architecture, designing the website and Telegram-based experiences, collaborating with developers, and continuously improving the service based on community feedback.

Website: petsittingserbia.com

Role Founder, Product owner

Work type New product (0→1)

Team CTO, Frontend developer and Backend developer

Contribution Product strategy, Product discovery, User research, User experience, Information architecture, Web design, Project coordination

Project overview

In 2022, after moving to Belgrade, I struggled to find a trustworthy pet sitter for my dog, Audrey. As a newcomer to the city who didn’t speak the local language, I had no idea where to look. There were no dedicated services for finding pet sitters, and the available options lacked the information needed to confidently choose someone to care for a beloved pet. As I spoke with other pet owners, I discovered that many expats—and locals as well—were facing the same challenge. That’s when I decided to create a community where pet owners and pet sitters could easily find each other.

Instead of building a website from day one, I launched a Telegram community to validate the idea and better understand how people searched for pet care. Over the next four years, the project grew organically through continuous user feedback and observation of real user behavior. As the community expanded, I introduced Telegram bots to automate repetitive tasks and later designed a website with sitter profiles, reviews, and additional tools to make the experience more transparent and trustworthy.

For the first few years, the project was built by just the two of us. I led product strategy, user research, UX/UI design, community management, and day-to-day operations, while my husband developed the Telegram bots and automation behind the service. As the project continued to grow, a frontend developer and a backend developer joined the team to help build the next stage of the product.

Today, the community includes two Telegram channels:

Belgrade: https://t.me/petsittingbelgrade
Novi Sad: https://t.me/petsittingnovisad

Website: petsittingserbia.com

Key Metrics

Community members

3,800+

2,963 in Belgrade
844 in Novi Sad

Average daily requests

2–5

5/day during peak season
2/day during off-season

Monthly active sitters

30+

responding to new requests

Continuous organic growth

4 years

since 2022

Product Evolution

What started as a simple Telegram community gradually evolved into a lightweight product ecosystem.

2022. Telegram community

Launched Telegram communities in Belgrade and Novi Sad to validate the idea.

2023. Automation

Introduced Telegram bots, Airtable, and Make to automate request publishing, review collection, and community operations.

2026. Custom infrastructure

As the community and team grew, we began migrating from no-code automation to our own infrastructure. Together with a frontend developer and backend developer, we’re building a custom solution with AI-assisted development using Claude Code to improve scalability, reduce operational overhead, and support future product growth.

Features

Community-driven Matching

The Telegram channels are the heart of the service, connecting pet owners with trusted pet sitters in Belgrade and Novi Sad. Instead of searching through dozens of profiles, owners submit a request that is shared directly with the community, allowing interested sitters to respond.

How it works

The pet owner clicks Find a Sitter and fills out a request form with essential details such as pet type, dates, location, and care requirements.
The request is automatically published in the appropriate Telegram channel. Owners can also attach a photo of their pet to make the request more personal.
Pet sitters reply in the comments if they’re available and interested. The owner reviews the responses, visits sitter profiles, and contacts the preferred sitter directly.

This approach keeps the process simple while giving both sides flexibility and transparency.

Telegram channels — Belgrade and Novi Sad

Website

As the community grew, it became clear that pet owners needed more information before choosing a sitter. The website complements the Telegram channels by explaining how the service works and providing a searchable directory of sitter profiles.

Each profile includes experience, services, pricing, accepted pet types, accommodation details, and reviews, helping owners make informed decisions before reaching out.

The website also serves as the primary entry point for new users, guiding both pet owners and prospective sitters through the service.

Owner & Sitter Experience

As the project evolved, we began replacing manual and no-code workflows with our own infrastructure.

Sitter Onboarding & Profiles

Prospective sitters register on the website and complete a multi-step onboarding form covering their experience, services, pricing, accommodation, and pet preferences. After profile verification, their public profile is published automatically. Sitters can update their information at any time, ensuring profiles remain accurate and trustworthy.

To support onboarding, I also designed a dedicated Become a Sitter landing page that explains the process, highlights the benefits of joining the community, and introduces the subscription plans.